Hay harvester



Aug. 13, 1946. w. H. RODEFELD HAY HARVESTER Filed Jan. 6, 1945 PatentedAug. 13, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j HAY HARVESTER William H.Rodefeld, Richmond, Incl.

Abplication January 6, 1945, Serial N0. 571,556

My present invention relates 110 machinery for handling hay and similarmaterial.

The principal object of this invention is the pro- Vision of a machinecombining raking, loading holding and transporting mechanism 130 providemeans t rake, take up, am]. remove hay and 51m.- ilar material from I;hefield more efiiciently.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a machine withwhich 0ne man can do W01k that heretofore required more than one machineanal more than one man.

I attain these objects by mechanism illustrated. in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1 is a side view of the machine and shows aconveyance in combination w ith a Set of raking teeth near the frontthereof and a sei; of loading teeth back of the raking teeth and a setof holding arms above the loading teeth and mechanism 1:0 operate theraking teeth and the loading teeth and the holding arms.

Figure 2 is a plan view.

Figure 3 is a partial side view showing the raking teeth in raisedposition.

Figure 4 is a partia1 side view showing the 1oading teeth in raisedposition and the holding arms in raised position.

Figure 5 is a partial front view showing only the loading teeth and. theholding arms with the loading teeth in raised position and the holdingarms in lowered position and this view shows how the loading teeth andthe ho1ding arms are spaced 1:0 pass between each other.

Figure 6 is an enlarged partial top view showing the 1eft rear wheel ofthe coriveyance and a sprocket that drives the mechanism that operatesthe raking and loading teeth and the holding arms and the means forengaging and disengaging the driving sprocket and the wheel hub to putthe mechanism in or out of operation.

Sim'ilar numerals refer 110 similar parts t hroughout the several views.

'Ihe frame I the rear wheels 2, the sides 3, the front wheels 3I analthe tongue 30 constitute the conveyance.

The raking teeth 4 rake up material as the machine is pulled forward andthen drop the materia1 in a bunch by being .raised to the position shownin Figure 3. 'I'he loading tee'th 5 then pick up the bunched material asthe machine moves forward. 'I'he raking teeth 4 return 150 rakingposition immediately after passing over a dropped bunch of material 1:0rake another bunch of materia1 and while the raking teeth 4 are down theloading teeth 5 swing up to the positions shown in Figures 4 and 5 toput the material they 6 Claims. (GI. 21479) 2 have picked up onto theconveyance and. then return down pick up Position before th e rakingteeth 4 drop another bunch of material.

Immediately after the loading teeth have swung up and, rearward to putmaterial on the conveyance the holding arms 6 swing down and beingspaced to Dass betweem the loading teeth they come against the materialand the loading teeth then return to the ground and the holding arms 6remain against the materia1 to hold i1: on the conveyance until theloading teeth again rise to put more material on the conveyance than theholding arms 6 swing quickly up out of the way anal then again Swingdown and against the material before the, loading teeth again retum tothe ground.

The movements of the raking teeth 4 and the loading teeth 5 andtheholding arms 6 occur in proper order While the machine movescontinua1ly forward and the loading teeth and the holding arms crowd thematerial back into the 001'1- veyance unti1 the conveyance is full andthen the mechanism is put out of operation by shifting the lever 32.

The frmt wheels 3I of the conveyauca operate on the castor whee1principle to permit turning.

A sprocket 8, a. spi0cket I6 and a sprocke t 23 and the drive sprocket Iare connected by a chain II.

The sprocket 8 rotates on a stationary stub shaft 9 and carries aneccentrically positioned roller III that strikes-a rocker arm I2 carriedby a stationary stub shaft I3 and the rocker arm I2 is connected by arod I4 to an arm I5 which is secured to the shaft 35 that carries theraking teeth 4. Movement of the rocker arm I2 by the roher I0 0n thesprocket 8 therefore raises the raking teeth 4.

The sprocket I6 rotates on a stub shaft I3'and carries an eccentricallypositioned roller I'l that strikes a 1ever I9 that is carried by a stubshaft 36 and is connected by a 1ink 21 an arm 20 on a shaft 22 thatcarries the loading teeth 5. Movement 0f the 1ever I9 by the rollers I'I011 the sprocket I6 r-aises the loading teech 5.

A sprocket 23 rotates an a stub shaft 3I and carries an eccentricallypositioned roller 24. A two arm rocker 25 carried by a stub shaft 29 isconnected by a. bar 28 to an arm 27 Which is secured to a shafl: 26 thatcarries the holding arms 6. The two arms of the rocker 25 are struckalternately by the r01 1er 24 on the sprocket 23 and when the roller 24strikes the upper arm of rocker 25 th e holding arms are raised and when-the roller 24 strikes the lower arm of rocker 25 the holding arms 6 arelowered.

The hub 33 of the sprocket l has clutch jaws to eng-age similar clutchjaws 011 the hub 34 of the wheel 2 -and the clutch jaws are engaged ordisengaged to put the mechanism in or out of D- eration.

Having nowdescribed the invention, what I c1aim and desire 130 secure byLetters Patent of the Unitedtates is:

1. A machine to handle hay and similar materia1 consisting of a, wheelsupported frame carrying a. set of raking teeth near the front endthereof arranged to rake material into bunches as the machine movesforward and to rise and drop the said bunches and a sei: of loadingteeth located behind the raking teeth with -thtir freut ends arranged toslide on the grouncl under the bunched material dropped by the rakingteeth and their back ends carried by the frame in such manner as 120permit the front ends to be raised to carry the material up-ward am!backward to a carrying compartment and a, set of ho1ding arms supportedabove the said loading teeth and arranged to swing downward and rearwardto pass between the said loading teeth to hold the material in thecarrying compartment.

2. A haryesting machine consisting of a wheeled chassis having a setof.raking teeth arranged to rake material as the machine moves forwardand then drop it in a bunch anal having a set of loa.ding teeth hingedto the said chassis back of the said raking teeth and. arranged toextend forward and to p&tss under the bunched material dropped by thesaid raking teeth as the machine moves forward anal then to swing upwardand elevate the said materia! to a carrY- ing compartment on the saidChassis and having a set of holding arms arranged to pass between thesaid lom iing teeth while they are up anti to hold the seid material inthe said 00mpartment and having mechariism to operate the said rakingteeth and lo.ding teeth and holding arms.

3. A machine to rake, tanke up, and. transport hay and similarIrlaterial having a, set of raking toeth arranged to rake' material asthe machine moves forward and to rise at intervals ancl drop the rakedmaterial 'bunchecl anc1 then return to the ground for additional rakingand having a sei; of loading teeth behind the said raking teeth ingteeth are up and so the holding arms remain against the material whilethe loading teeth are down.

4. A self-loading annveyance to take up anal transport hay and similarmaterial while moving forward having a carrying compartment open at thefront a set of teeth to rake material anal drop it in bunches, a secondSet of teeth to s1ide under the said bunches and then to swing upwardanal elevate the material to the oarrying compa.rtment and a set of armsto press the materia1 in the carrying compartment and hold it thereinand to serve as a closing means to the open front 015 the carryingcompartment.

5. A machine for harvesting hay 'and similar material consisting of awheeled chassis supportins a 1oad carrying compartment open at the frontand having a set of loading teeth hinged to the chassis near the saidopen front anal extending forward with the front ends thereof resting onthe ground when they are in down position and extending upward at theopen front of the carrying compartment when up and a set of holding armsarranged to pass between the said loading teeth when they a1e up topress material in the carrying compartrnent and to hold it therein when.the said loading teeth are in down position anti a set of raking teethnear the front of the chassis to rake material as the machine movesforward and. arranged. to drop it bunched in front of the said loadingteeth.

6. A machine to rake and take up and transport hay and similar materialconsisting of a wheeled chassis having a carrying compartment open atthe freut anal having a. set of raking teeth near the freut 0f saidchassis arranged to rake material as the machine moves forward and torise at intervals to drop the raked material in bunches and having a setof loading teeth behind the raking teeth and hinged to the machine andextending forward toward the raking teeth when in down position andarraned so tha.t the forward ends thereof slide on the ground and underthe bunched material and so that they swing upward to elevate the saidmaterial to the said carrying compartment and having a. set of holding'arms hinged so they may swing to pass between and. through the loadingteeth when the same are up to press material into the carryingcompartment and. arranged to remain against the material therein whilethe loading teeth return to the ground to take up more materia1 and toSwing upward out of the way when the loading teeth elevate the nextbunch of materia1 and then to swing aga.in through the 1oading teeth topress and hold the material and ha.ving mechanism to operate the rakingteeth and the loading teeth and the ho1ding arms.

WILLIAM H. RODEFELD.

